LED Lighting | How Many Lights Per Driver?
Posted by Gary Lederman on 16th Jan 2016
Each LED light requires a precise amount of power (wattage) to operate, and each driver delivers a defined amount of wattage. Too much power and the life of the light fixture will be reduced dramatically or burn the light out completely. Too little power and the light either can’t produce its designed illumination or it does not work at all.
What size driver should I use?
LED drivers should operate a group of LED lights that use up to 80% of the maximum wattage output of the driver. Drivers should not be paired with an LED that is at or exceeds the driver’s maximum wattage to avoid overstressing the driver components. Here ‘s an example:
If you have a driver with a wattage output of 60 watts, it should only operate LEDs that use a combined 48 watts (60w x 80% = 48w).
How many lights can one driver power?
Drivers are not limited by the number of LED lights they power. They are restricted by the total wattage of the LED lights they power. Here ‘s an example:
Let’s say you have 10 LED lights that are 4w each (10 x 4w = 40w).
If you have a group of LEDs that combined add up to 40 watts, you should use a driver of at least 50 watts (40w / 80% = 50w)
